Netherlands to assist lifting damaged dredger from Galle port

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 March 2005, 15:25 GMT]The government of the Netherlands has come forward to finance the lifting a dredger, Diya Kowulla, of the Sri Lankan Ports Authorities from Galle quay. The dredger was stranded in the Galle quay when the tsunami waves hit the country on December 26. According to a statement from the embassy, Mrs. S. Th. Blankhart, Ambassador of the Netherlands and Mr. P.B. Jayasundera, Secretary of the Ministry of Finance and Planning signed a contract on the lifting of the dredger.

"Under this agreement the Netherlands Government will finance the lifting from a fund that Minister Van Ardenne made available for the reconstruction of the tsunami affected area," the statement said, adding that the Dutch company, the IHC who built the dredger, will carry out the lifting and take care of the required repair if needed.

"The Government of the Netherlands stimulates investments in developing countries through industrial programmes. Sri Lanka received funding from the ORET fund (export transactions which are relevant to the development- fund) for over one third of the total costs of the dredger. Last year the dredger was delivered to the Sri Lankan Ports Authority and was being deployed to dredge ports in Sri Lanka," the statement said.